Internal-combustion engine with cylinders arranged in two opposite lines



' July 5, 1927.

J. J. M. BERTRAND ET Al,

INTERNAL COIBJSTION BRGINB WITH CYLINDERS 'ARRANGED IN TWO OPPOSITE LINES- Filed April 20. 1922 2 Sheets-Shut 1 m K. 1 fl Patented July 5, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATIENT OFFICE.

JEAN JOSEPH MARIE IBERTRAND AND LOUIS JOSEPH E ENRI SOLANET, O1 PARIS,

v FRANCE.

INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINE WITH CYLINDERS ARRANGED IN TWO OPPOSITE LINES.

Application filed April 20, 1922, Serial 110. 555,734, and in France Kay 13, 1921.

This invention relates to four stroke explosion engines or internal combustion engines'with 4;) cylinders (p being a number greater than Z); it consists substantially in 5 the combinationof p elementary four cylinder engines of known type in each of which the four cylinders are placed in two opposite lines and have all their axesparallel to a single direction. In this engine,

the cranks of each group of four cylinders are in the same plane, all the crank shafts .of the various groups of cylinders are identical, and the various radial planes of the cranks of the groups offourcylinders are equally displaced relatively to one another.

Individually, each of these four cylinder engines is unbalanced, but the combmation of engines so obtained is balanced andgives numerous advantages. Two known types of four 0 linder engine can be used as an element in the said combination and give two types of engines which lie within the scope of the present invention.

Figures 1 to 4 refer to the motors of the first type.

Figures 1 and 2 show an eight cylinder engine having five bearings and eight crank ins with the crank shaft made of two plane our-throw crank shafts. Figures 3 and 4 show another eight cylinder engine having a crank shaft made of two plane three-throw crank shafts displaced relatively to one another by 90, the said eight cylinder engine having seven bearesldes, in each of the said-engines, in

each group of four cylinders, the adjacent cylinders can be put close in order to re duce the linear displacement 1 and the dis- 4() tance between the bearings a, b, c, d can be as small as possible.

In each engine shown in the drawings, the cylinders and the corresponding parts of each cylinder are indicated with the num- 46 hers I, II, I, II, 1, 2, 1, 2' in order to distinguish at once the various parts of an engine and so to make. instantaneous the understanding of the said drawings and motors.

In these figures, the letters a, b, c, d show the bearin s.

According to t e .4 2 cylinders is made'by means of p eleanother by 180 first type, an engine with mentary four cylinder engines in each of WlllCh the piston-rods of two connected opposed cylinders act on the crank shaft at.

two diametrically opposed points and, therefore, in each of which the crank shaft has the known form with four or three cranks.

Then, the elementary crank shafts are anguwhar when p is odd.'- According to the second type, an en o with 4p' cylinders is made by means '0 an odd number (p=2m+1; m being a number larly displaced oneto another by 12 is even and o greater than zero) of elementary four cyl-- inder engines in each of which the two connected opposed cylinders act on the crank shaft at the same point, and, therefore, in each of which the. crank shaft has the known form with two cranks. Then, these various ,crank shafts arg angularly displaced one to These engines of both ty es give numerous advantages and particular y with re ard to the facility of the feeding of the cy inders, the simplicity of construction of the engine and the perfection of the balancing, and the said advantages are not simltaneously obtained in the engines at present used with six or more cylinders arranged in two opposite lines or in vvthe known engines of the same power with four cylinders only or in the known engines with 4;) (p=2m+l) cylinders arranged in various radial lines.

In addition to the various advantages.

already obtained in some types of engines,

i. e., the'possibility of using one carburettor only for each group of four cylinders, the simplicity of the piping, the regularity of the crank turning moment, the present invention gives particular advantages, namely 1, the possibility of making the crank J shaft by means of 11 parts in each of which all the cranks are arranged in the same plane, the said parts being identical, placed end to,end and suitably angularly displaced relatively to one another,

2, the possibility of reducin to p-Z only for 4p cylinders the number 0 intermediate supportin brackets, that is to say to one bracket on y between two elementary ou s of four cylinders, all the intermediate rac ets being taken off in each elementary group of four cylinders, and the possibility of using ball or roller bearings,

"3, as a consequence of this simplification of the crank shaft, increased facility of fitting the ball or roller bearin y 4, the obtainin of the ba ancing by making but little cal on the rigidity of the engine bed, and, therefore, the ossibility of making the said engine bed lig iter than the ones at present used, because by reducing the linear displacement Z (Fig. 2), for instance, by counterelbowing the crank shaft, the inertia couples which are mutually balanced are also reduced.

5. The perfection of the balancing gives the possibility of running the motor at hi her s ed than ordinary motors, which all ows o the construction of lighter motors than the ones at present used.

There is a possibility of making an internal combustion engines of the kind hereinabove specified by means of any number of elementary four cylinder engines in sac of which the iston rods of two connected opposed cylin ers act on two diametrically opposed points of the crank shaft, the'elementary crank shafts being angularly displaced one to another by 180, as more specially described hereinafter, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed in the appended claims. Then, the crank shaft of each elementary four cylinders engine has the known form with four or three cranks.

There is also a possibility of making an internal combustion engines of the kind hereinabove specified by means of any odd number p (p:2m+l, m being a number greater than zero) of elementary four cylinder engines, the various crank shafts of which 0 Z Then, these elementary four cylinders en 'nes can be of the known ty e in which t e piston rods of two connecte opposed cylinders act on two diametrically opposed points of the crank shaft, and, therefore, in each of which are displaced one to another by the crank shaft has the known form with type, i. e., four cylwhich are displaced one to another by the center of gravity of the moving parts is still and the harmonica of any order are rigorously balanced.

The above advantages allow of using in any motor vehicle or aeroplane the engine with 4;) cylinders arranged in two opposite lines. As such an en ine requires onlya small place it is possi le to arrange it beneath the body of the vehicle and consequently at any part of the length of the vehicle; in the aeroplanes, it is possible to ar range such an engine of a rest power in wings of a relatively small t ickness.

The following tables sum up the explanation of the characteristics of the most used motors which can be constructed according to the present invention.

I. First type.

Number of groups of four-cylinder Numberol engines with P crank pine. lane three or our throw crank shalt.

8 6 or 8 2 12 9 or 12 3 16 12 or 16 4 an 16 or 2) 5 II. Second type.

N b0! or 1 3 11m 0 Our-Cy D Q! olcyllnm m engines with den. p plane two-throw crank lhatt.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be formed, we declare that what we claim is:

1. An internal combustion engine comprising a lurality of groups of our cylinders and aving the 4;) cylinders of the engine arranged in two opposed lines with their axes parallel, in which the cranks of each group of four cylinders lie in a single plane and all the crank shafts of the various groups of four cylinders are identical and arranged in p planes displaced equally relatively to one another.

2. An internal combustion en 'ne comprising a lurality of groups of Edur cylinders and iaving the 4 cylinders of the engine arranged in two opposite lines with their axes parallel, in which the .cranks of each group of four cylinders lie in a single plane and the p crank shafts of the various groups of four cylinders are identical, placed end to end and displaced equally relatively to one another.-

3. An internal combustion en ine comprising a lurality of groups of our 0 linders and iaving the 4p cylinders o the engine arranged in two opposed lines with their axes parallel, in which the cranks of each group of four cylinders lie in a single plane and all the crank shafts of the various groups of four cylinders are identical and arranged inp planes displaced Iegifiill retlgl in w 10 a so a tively to-one another an rods of the pistons of two opposed connected cylinders act on the crank shaft at two diametrically opposite points, the various iden-- plane and the p crank shafts of the various.

groups of cylinders are identical, placed end -to end and displaced relatively to one another by 180 /p.

' Leagues 5. An internal combustion engine comprising a plurality of groups of four cylindersand having the 4;) cylinders of the engins arranged in two opposed lines with their. axes parallel, in which the cranks of each group of four 0 linders lie in a single plane and-the p cran shafts of the various groupsof cylinders are identical, placedend to end anddisplaced relatively to one another by 1809/12, the rods of the pistons of two opposed connected cylinders acting on the crank shaft at two diametrically oppo- 80 site points.

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands.

JEAN JOSEPH MARIE BERTRAND. LOUIS JOSEPH HENRI SOLANETQ 

